Why Are We Surprised by Leniency for White Rapists

With Stanford rapist Brock Turner being released from prison Friday after a laughably short sentence, it’s time to look at privilege. Again.

[Content warning: sexual assault]

It is kind to appreciate the spaghetti your little brother lovingly prepared for you even though the noodles were barely cooked and the sauce was burnt. Birthdays, holidays, weddings, and graduations all have something in common: countless inappropriate gifts are accepted with grace because of the cliché, “It’s the thought that counts.” When Great Aunt Ida white-elephants a vibrator because she thought it was a back massager, it eases the awkwardness to remember that she meant well.

Americans love to say, “It’s the thought that counts.” It’s such a common saying that white folks use that engrained ideology to justify and defend oppression. Widely publicized news stories paint a picture of the powerful (read: white and those benefiting from white male power structures) being protected because of their (imagined, good) intent — while the disenfranchised (read: people of color) are punished for theirs.

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